10 Things I Learned in Thailand

Posted on October 13, 2010 by admin

1. Smiles need no translation
2. Less is more
3. The appreciation of a toilet seat
4. How to make concrete & cement
5. How count to 100 in Thai
6. Commuting to school in the morning can get a lot more difficult
7. It ain’t easy being a teacher
8. It’s possible to eat rice every meal of the day
9. Bridging the gap between cultures and language barriers
10. More than I could ever describe…

After 36 hours of flying to the other side of the world and a night spent arguing with the local marketers in Chiang Mai, we awoke bright and early to begin our trek through the Thai mountains. Expectations varied from person to person; everyone had their own ideas about what the school would look like, how the people would act, and whether or not they had enough Nature Valley bars to last them the trip. Unexpectedly, we were all wrong. No one could have predicted the life-changing experience before us.

The five-hour trip through the mountains was eventful to say the least. From muddy roads to evasive spare tires, we began to settle into our surroundings and got to know the 30 other students who had come together from around the world to rural village of Ban Maelid.

Upon arrival, the principal and the 150 students who had readied their traditional hand-woven bracelets for each of us greeted us with incredible hospitality and generosity. We proceeded to set up our beds (though Hutch and I couldn’t figure out the mosquito net until Day 3) and all took notice of the unprecedented guy to girl ratio (7 boys and 27 girls). Over the remainder of the day, our bodies began to adjust to the unfamiliar Thai cuisine (rice and pineapple replace pizza and fries), and our hearts began to warm to the omnipresent feeling of community and togetherness that was immediately vibrant and welcoming to all.

We awoke to the familiar meal of Corn Flakes and white bread, followed by the daily morning assembly in the courtyard/soccer field. We stood quietly while the members of the school recited the national anthem and their morning prayer. Needless to say, we understood nothing of the principal’s welcoming speech, but the Regent’s School (the host school) teacher, Kun Mina, translated for us.

We then broke off into two separate groups: those who would do construction work in the morning and teach in the afternoon, and vice-versa. We learned a lot about building and cement and concrete, and it was a pretty solid workout to say the least. It was awesome how everyone was working together and helping each other to reach one common goal. Though the language barrier made it really hard to communicate with the Thai people, we were able to work around it because of everyone’s willingness and patience.

In the afternoon (or morning for others), we went to go teach the kids in groups of 2 or 3. I ended up with a girl named Leah from Victoria, BC, and a guy named Bian from Indonesia (he goes to Regent’s now). The lesson plan varied from class to class (depending on their age), but it mostly consisted of teaching them some English (whether it be counting, shapes, animals, weather, etc.) and then playing some games when we felt they’d learned enough for one day. I am forever grateful to Ms. Hart, without whom I would have never learned the awesome drama games that everyone loved and made class exciting and fun. I must admit that it wasn’t easy teaching class after class. Keeping students busy and engaged while having fun is hard work. It definitely elevated my respect and appreciation for all teachers who do this on a daily basis.

Service ended each day at 4 pm (with two snack breaks and lunch in between), at which point most of the kids would walk back home to their villages while some stayed behind to play some soccer following the end of the day assembly. For the first two days, this would be the time when we “chilled” or played soccer with the kids. Either way, a cold bucket shower was unavoidable before our 6:30 pm dinner. After dinner was all done, we’d watch a slideshow of the day’s photos and relaxed until bedtime at 9:30 pm. During that time, we got to learn how to make bracelets and weave baskets from the kids who boarded at the school. It was great to experience their culture like that, and it was relaxing and lots of fun.

Speaking of showers, the bathrooms were not quite what we were used to. There was only one North American-style toilet at the school, while the others were located on the floor and were flushed by pouring buckets of water into them until it was clean. These stalls also doubled as the showers, which consisted of a bowl and a water tap. It was a tough transition to get over for everyone, but by the 3rd or 4th day it wasn’t too bad.

After service was done on the 3rd day, we had the privilege of walking back with the kids to their village. Each one of us partnered up with someone and took on the task of walking them home. To say it was the most genuine and powerful thing I’d ever experienced would be an understatement. Past the language barrier and the massive cultural contrast, we were all simply human beings connecting on the most basic of levels. They took us to their village and welcomed us into their homes and treated us with a respect and politeness lie I had never before experienced before. To really see how these people lived and how different our lives are from their own was a huge shock, and it really instilled a profound appreciation in me for all that we have and take for granted. At the same time though, it felt so unfair that we have so much and they have so little. Then I realized just why we were there: to be together as human beings, no matter where we were from. We were there to help and to learn how easy is was to live with and love each other. Round Square 2010: We Walk Together.

On the last day, we went for an hour-long hike up the mountain (the regular commute to school everyday for some of the kids), and went to see another village. The people were incredibly friendly and welcoming as always, and it was amazing to once again see how they lived and to be truly immersed in their everyday lives. The kids guided us up the slippery trail and were so excited to show us around. I was really lucky to go hang out with my new friend Kasen’s grandparents and really see what it was like for them to live in their home. They were very kind and eager to show me their home and they loved taking pictures with us.

In the afternoon, we all came up with games to play with the whole school, and everyone was having a great time (“What time is it Mr. Wolf,” “Indian Chief,” “Monkey in the Middle,” etc.). At night, we had a big celebration of the last few days and finished it off with a disco party, which was amazing. Everyone was dancing and happy and it was really a celebration of the world coming together as one. It was an appropriate end to an unforgettable experience that really changed my life.

If you’ve read this far, you have probably inferred what I’m about to say, but I think it’s really important to reiterate this. The people of Ban Maelid were the kindest and most polite individuals I have met in my life. They treated us all with immeasurable respect and hospitality that exceeds anything I’ve ever seen. They fed us and sheltered us like kings compared to how they have to live. For example, they eat meat only about once a week due to limited availability, while we had it almost every meal because they felt it would make us more comfortable. Every time you would walk by someone down the hall they bow and say hello (“Sawadeekap” for guys, “Sawadeeka” for girls) and make you feel so welcome in a land most of us had never seen. Their love, respect and all of their gestures motivated us to reciprocate in the same way, which in turn created the atmosphere at this pre-conference that we have all come to love and deeply miss.

As I sit on the bus from Bangkok to the real conference in Pattaya writing this, I can’t help but feel sad that the past week is behind me. However, I am thankful for the privilege to partake in something as powerful as the experience I had in Ban Maelid and for the opportunity of meeting their wonderful people. I’m VERY excited for the next week to come. —Greg Sigler ’11

Conférence sur le bilinguisme

Posted on May 10, 2010 by admin

Voici des commentaires d’élèves qui ont participé à la conférence sur le bilinguisme dans les écoles du QAIS, le 29 avril, 2010.

J’ai aimé la conférence sur le bilinguisme car c’était intéressant d’entendre les histoires des anciens étudiants. Ils ont dit que c’est très important de continuer le français après l’école secondaire car les langues aident tout le monde à communiquer et à s’exprimer avec plusieurs personnes du monde entier. Je suis d’accord avec ce message et je vais continuer de parler le français pour le restant de ma vie! —Alexandra Bélanger, 10e programme accéléré

Je crois que la conférence était d’une importance capitale pour ma perception de la coexistence des langues française et anglaise au Québec. Je sais maintenant qu’il est primordial de savoir et de maîtriser les deux langues et de ne pas passer trop de temps sans pratiquer l’une des deux. Aussi, j’ai découvert qu’être bilingue n’est pas si exceptionnel qu’on pourrait le croire. —Benjamin Dawson, 10e programme accéléré

Je suis très heureuse d’avoir eu la chance d’aller à la conférence sur le bilinguisme. Je pense que cette expérience m’a vraiment aidée à réaliser que maîtriser plusieurs langues est très important dans la vie. —Gabrielle Gendron, 10e programme accéléré

You Can Find the Most Interesting Things in Owl Pellets

Posted on April 8, 2010 by admin

On the 26th of March, I participated in an exciting activity with the help of the grade 10 students. I dissected owl pellets or, as I’d like to call it, “owl puke.” I kept on asking my mom if I could miss school Friday, but it turned out to be a lot of fun.

I found in my pellet vertebrae, three skulls, seven pelvic bones (the record by the way), and part of the rib cage. I discovered that in my pellet there were three different kinds of animals; a vole, a rat and a mouse. My partners David and Kianna taught me how to use tweezers carefully and got out most of the delicate bones.

This is the most fun activity I’ve done in my 6 years at LCC!— Christina Papageorgakopoulos ’16

Global Perspectives

Posted on April 1, 2010 by admin

There is an old adage that school is about the three R’s—Reading, wRiting and aRithmatic—the core subjects that support every young person’s success in the world. But in the modern world, I now see a fourth R that we have to add to the mix: Respect. For me this is a key element of every student’s education. In my view there are two primary elements to truly understanding respect: first, a focus on continuous character education, the molding of engaged and involved citizens and, second, respect for differences—primarily ethnic and cultural differences that are so common in today’s multicultural Canada. Both are important, but I would like to focus here on the second component of respect….respect for diversity. This is much more than simply building a sense of tolerance for others different than yourself. The notion of tolerance is simply not enough – tolerance should be a given between people, even people lacking education. I am thinking about something much more profound than tolerance. I want every student in our school to be intrigued by difference, not afraid of it, not ignorant of difference. To call oneself truly educated, one needs to learn to reach out, be proactive and want to know about “the other.” Who is “the other” you ask? Those who are profoundly different than ourselves.

This is exactly why the development of a global perspective is one of the most important attributes one can develop while in high school. In addition to reading, writing and arithmetic, the capacity to be familiar with and navigate the waters between different cultures is a key set of skills that will contribute to success in life as adults. Historically, this has been a hallmark of Canadians—bilingual, rooted in French and British colonial roots and traditions, close to our American friends and open to the world through generations of immigrants coming to this land of opportunity. However, in recent years, I think teenagers in Canada have actually become too spoiled, too soft, too complacent, and too comfortable with our high standard of living and the many blessings of this very special country. Unfortunately, in Canada at large, actively reaching out and learning about different cultures and investigating things foreign is not seen by enough young people as necessary. It’s not on enough personal agendas.

However, such a perspective just won’t do anymore. As we move forward into the second decade of the 21st century, youth need to be sure how to read, write and calculate. However, I assert that perhaps most important, students need to stop and consider how they are building their own sense of global awareness. This is the global toolbox that will equip young people to navigate the currents of multiple cultures intersecting on a daily basis during the balance of their lives.

This will require youth to step into new and sometimes difficult situations outside their Canadian comfort zones. With increasing frequency, they will be forced to define and question core values and what really matters to them. In short, to gain a truly global perspective, students must be proactive, outward-looking and willing to test themselves through active learning experiences. In the process they will likely change, but likely for the better—more insightful, wiser and resilient.
Here at LCC we have created many opportunities for students to enhance their global perspectives. Our classrooms, clubs and activities, community fundraising initiatives, international exchanges and service projects abroad present a host of amazing opportunities that can be life-changing.

So a new core component of our curriculum is a desire to be better connected to the many cultures and historical traditions that weave across the tapestry we call earth—an active celebration of differences. On a personal level, this requires some courage, but students find the journey fulfilling, challenging, exciting and full of the unexpected. If you don’t believe me, just ask one of the dozens of LCC students who have actively developed a stronger global perspective. I am proud to say, they are the best ambassadors for our unique programs that develop actively engaged global citizens. —Chris Shannon, Headmaster

Footy and Eureka Tower Down Under

Posted on March 31, 2010 by admin

It’s the end of week one, 11 000 miles away from Montreal, in Ballarat, Victoria. The weather has been great, the family amazingly friendly, and my short time at Ballarat Grammar School has been fun.

So far I have spent a week at school followed by a great weekend in Melbourne approximately an hour and a half away from Ballarat. The school, Ballarat Grammar School has been interesting. I have made good friends, experienced new and different things, such as “footy,” or Australian Rules Football–a great combination of various sports which is an action packed and highly skilled game. During the weekend, we went to a professional footy game in Melbourne to see some real “blokes” play a fun nail-biter of a game. On Saturday we spent the day in the city, taking in the view from the Eureka Tower, the tallest tower in the southern hemisphere. At the top of the world, we witnessed an aerobatics show. We spent the rest of the day walking around a beautiful and multi-ethnic city.

Ballarat Grammar School is presently on an end of term holiday. Awaiting us is a couple of days at the beach, to catch the surf followed by a week in Sydney. — Nick Lighter ’12